I also get annoyed when people say, “Real women have curves.” (Here comes a bit of a tangent.) I definitely have curves and I am pretty sure plenty of you are gorgeously curvaceous women. I’m also pretty sure some of you are gorgeously slender women. What do we have in common? We’re all real because we exist. The problem is commercials and advertising give us only a narrow idea of what women should look and act like. Have you ever flipped through a magazine and done that thing where you start comparing yourself to the models in the ads? Then all of a sudden you start thinking about how you need to get a gym membership to lose those “10 extra pounds?” Ladies, I’m here to tell you you’re perfect exactly as you are.

So what does this have to do with cat guys?

Men also face stigma for deviating from what a man is supposed to be. “Real men” are supposed to like football and beer and movies with lots of explosions. They’re not supposed to like cats because cats are “girly.” Some men follow sports teams closely, prefer brews, and can’t wait to see the next blockbuster — but some men like reading poetry, gardening, and sitting with cats on their laps. As long as people are being true to themselves, they are real and valid and deserving of respect.

What if you are a woman and you like beer and movies where things blow up? Are you a less “real” woman? Just the same, what if you are you a man who likes cats? We love that! But we also like men who prefer dogs or iguanas or hedgehogs.

Advertising already likes to remind us of how imperfect we are, so let’s not do it to ourselves — we are all real human beings, striving for companionship and understanding in this great, big world.